Wed Apr 02 06:49:00 UTC 2025: ## Giant Atom Smasher Planned: CERN Unveils Blueprint for Future Circular Collider

**Geneva, Switzerland** – The European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) has released ambitious plans for a successor to the Large Hadron Collider (LHC): the Future Circular Collider (FCC). This significantly larger machine, a nearly 91-kilometer loop beneath the French-Swiss border, aims to revolutionize particle physics research.

The detailed blueprint, released on March 31st, 2025, culminates a decade of planning. The FCC’s two-phase project envisions high-precision experiments in the mid-2040s focusing on known physics, followed by a high-energy phase starting in 2070 to explore uncharted territories. Researchers believe increased data will unlock previously unforeseen scientific breakthroughs.

The project’s estimated cost is approximately $16 billion (14 billion Swiss francs). CERN’s member states, along with the United States (an observer state), will decide on the project’s feasibility in 2028. If approved, construction could begin in the mid-2040s.

The FCC is expected to provide deeper insights into the Higgs boson and open up new avenues of research, potentially leading to innovations in various technological fields such as cryogenics and superconducting magnets.

While the US’s continued involvement is uncertain following recent cuts in research funding, CERN officials express optimism, highlighting the substantial American presence at CERN. The project’s success hinges on sustained international collaboration.

The project, a decade in the making, has considered over 100 different scenarios before settling on the proposed design. The 91km tunnel will have an average depth of 200 meters and a diameter of approximately 5 meters. The project is poised to become one of humanity’s most extraordinary scientific instruments, promising to unravel some of the deepest mysteries of the universe.

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